In everyday life, it is common to use the ear to support or hang some apparatus around the face, such as a pair of supportive bars on eyeglasses, or supportive elastic loops of a mouth mask. In the process of using the apparatus, some undue pressure is exerted onto a narrow portion of the ear causing concentrated focal pressure and discomfort. The main cause of discomfort comes from compressive pressure from a limited contact surface of the apparatus onto the ear. Over a long duration, the concentrated pressure is troublesome and unbearable to the wearers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,619,750, entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, discloses a safety equipment allowing simultaneous protection of a wearer's eyes, ears and nose from environmental influence, particularly, from sunlight.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,550,064, entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, discloses an ear shield assembly which attaches to various headgear and protects the users' ears against the sun and ultra violet rays, thereby reducing the probability of inducing cancer in this normally sensitive and exposed area. The ear shields are placed above the ears and extended outward horizontally from the brim of the cap, allowing air to reach the users' ears, while at the same time blocking the sunlight from reaching the ears.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,438, entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, discloses an ear shield assembly comprising a headband fabricated of semi-rigid material and formed in a generally semi-circular configuration; and two ear covers each formed in a hollow generally semi-spherical configuration, each ear covering having a concave inner surface and a convex outer surface, a free end of the headband being coupled through each ear cover, in an operative orientation a user placing the headband across his forehead, the user then positioning each ear cover over the auricle of an ear, the apparatus protecting a user's forehead and ears from hair dye during hair coloring.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,325,173, entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, discloses a method of alleviating the sound masking effects of wind noise on a cyclist wearing a safety helmet. The ear cover shield has a generally smooth exterior side that is positioned adjacent to but generally spaced from an ear of the cyclist so that wind is generally deflected from the ear so that the noise of air rushing over the ear is substantially reduced, and the cyclist is better able to hear the sound generated from directions which he cannot readily see.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,943,703, entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, discloses an ear protector with a flexible element preferably made of PVC, having a first enlarged section used for covering over an ear, and a second, forwardly-extending, reduced mounting section extending from the first enlarged section. Each section has formed therein a vertical slit, forming together a pair of forwardly-positioned slits through which may be passed the temple part of eyeglasses or sunglasses.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,746, entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, describes a protector, preferably for skiers, which can be readily mounted on a temple of glasses and extends from the front of the glasses to and beyond the ear piece of the temple so that there will be protection against wind and sun for a wearer's eyes, the side of the face and ears. The protector is formed of a cloth having insulating characteristics.
The prior art teaches an ear protector preventing a wearer's ears from being injured by an excessive sunlight, wind, or the like. None of them discloses an ear shield apparatus that could be suitably configured for eliminating or evenly distributing the compressive pressure resulted from the weight of the shield and the body accessory, such as a pair of eyeglasses.